Courtesy of Liz Skollar
When the opportunity arose for me to see Frog and Peach Theatre Company’s “As You Like It,” I had not even heard of the play. I did a quick Google search and my sister, who was reading over my shoulder, said “What the hell is a group wedding?” My knee-jerk reaction was, “That’s going to be awful.” Funnily enough, this scene ended up being my favorite — but I’ll get to that later. Before I review the actual performance, I want to set the atmosphere, since I firmly believe this play is as much an experience as a show to watch.
When I walked into the small basement theater (albeit ten minutes late), I was greeted by the director Lynnea Benson herself and the Beatles playing from the speaker, so I sat down in a great mood. The first thing I noticed was that the trees of the forest were made of handwritten notes. I already thought this was a creative touch, but then the second act came around, Orlando spoke the words “These trees shall be my books” and I excitedly scribbled the word “clever” into my notebook. Besides the paper trees, there was not much else to the set design — a move I thought was smart as it put some emphasis on the actors to create the environment.
Costume designer Asa Benally made sure there was a clear distinction between the country folk and the royal court. This was helpful, though a bit jarring considering the royal court costuming referenced Victorian attire while the country folk were giving “Of Mice and Men” vibes. That being said, I loved the costumes for the country folk. They were more modern than the Shakespearean era, but still distinguishable enough that I felt transported to a different place.
The theater itself was pretty tiny, so much so that I felt the need to move back a row. But that wasn’t a bad thing at all. In fact, the smallness of the venue added an air of intimacy and inclusivity. At one point, the audience members started clapping along with the musicians on stage like they were one of them, because in a way, they were. I felt like I was a member of the country folk and I loved it. Not to mention, being so close to the stage allowed me to see more subtle facial expressions on the actors’ faces, which enhanced their emotions. Now, onto the show itself.
“As You Like It” centers around Rosalind (Amy Frances Quint), the daughter of a Queen in exile, and Orlando (Kyle Primack), the poor son of Sir Rowland de Boys. Quint has chemistry with everyone she interacts with on stage. Her first appearance is alongside Alyssa Diamond, who plays Rosalind’s cousin Celia. Although they play cousins, the actresses display a believable sisterly bond through body language alone. Rosalind continuously grabs the affections of one character after the other until Quint has the whole audience in love with her. In act two, Rosalind doesn’t pull any punches and she calls out several characters, such as Phoebe (Casey Young), and Jaques (Jonathan Reed Wexler). Quint performs these scenes with the most incredible ~girl-boss~ energy.
As for Primack, I’ve never seen an actor portray that much pure, profound sadness with their facial expressions alone. He plays Orlando like a devastated, lovesick puppy — a refreshing change from the typical male romantic lead in most entertainment. While the character seems to be written as a bit of a dimwit, Primack is somehow able to breathe humor and genuine kindness into Orlando so we have no choice but to root for him.
The highlight of the show, in my opinion, was the royal court in exile. The court (made up of Bellamy Ridinger, Camelia Iturregui Fuertes, Coleman Shu-Tung, Calley Light, Riley Scott and Hester Wilkinson), is first introduced with soft guitar playing behind Queen Senior. Soon after, they embark on a joyful and chaotic musical number, which I was enthralled by. I was filled with excitement every time they stepped onstage. Jonathan Reed Wexler stole the show. His performance as Jaques was the perfect balance of avante-garde without being over-the-top or obnoxious. Wexler was able to transition beautifully from hilarious to solem (especially when delivering the “all the world’s a stage” monologue) in a split second. He stood out from the rest of the exiled court in a colorful fur scarf and wide-brim hat.
Of course, I must give credit to composer Ted Zurkowski. The music separated this version of the play from any other. It injected life into the story and gave the actors something more to build on. As I mentioned, my favorite part of the play was the ending group wedding scene. It felt a bit like the ending number of a musical where the cast sings and dances like all is right in the world. There were some parts where I could tell the actors were having as good a time as their characters. Frog and Peach Theatre Company’s “As You Like It” surprised me with its originality. Lynnea Benson did a wonderful job of taking something old and making it new. If you’re in New York and looking for some pure happiness in your life, hurry and see “As You Like It” during its last weekend, running until Oct. 23 with performances Wednesday-Saturday Oct. 19-22 at 7:30p.m. and Sunday Oct. 23 at 3:00p.m.